Porsche 911/966 Turbo – 2000

Its manual transmission, the reliable Mezger engine, the excellent condition

and full maintenance record make this Porsche 996 Turbo very desirable, but it will retain its value as well. It was delivered new in Germany in 2000 in this very stylish combination of Arctic Silver with black leather upholstery. Factory options included a Porsche Traffic Pro radio with CD-changer, a sunroof and a rear windscreen wiper. The first owner, a real car buff, was determined to have a six-speed manual gearbox mounted instead of the Tiptronic, and had the car serviced by the official Porsche-dealerships and well-known Porsche specialists. Maintenance records go with the car. The odometer reads 113,000km (70,500 miles) and it has been recently serviced. The Porsche benefits from high-end technology. While the Carrera engines sometimes suffered from cooling problems and faulty bearings the Mezger engine made an end to that. The immense power of the 421hp 3.6 litre twin-turbo engine with intercooler is managed by 4WD and PSM (Porsche Stability Management). For anyone interested in price development we can say that a 996 Turbo in this excellent condition will retain its value and probably become even more valuable over the years. Especially when equipped with the highly desirable manual transmission.

General

The Turbo has always been the top of the Porsche 911 range. The Turbo has always been the fastest 911 without sacrificing comfort or ease of use. The first 911 Turbo, the 930, was one of the first production supercars with a turbo. A turbo offered a huge increase in performance, unfortunately in the early years this was accompanied by a huge turbo-gap. Combined with the short wheelbase and the rear-mounted engine, this created a very demanding driving experience. It’s not difficult to see why they called the first generation 911 Turbo the ‘widow maker’.

Despite this, the 911 Turbo was a great success and every generation became better and better. In 1995 the 993 Turbo was the first Porsche with two turbochargers and also the last air-cooled 911. The harmonious design of the bodywork was developed under supervision of the Dutchman Harm Lagaay.

The successor, the 996, was a big step for Porsche. In 1997 the first water cooled Porsche 911, the 996, followed after 34 years. The 3.4 liter engine produced 300 hp. This model was larger and more aerodynamic than its predecessors. The interior also underwent a facelift and became considerably more comfortable. The car was built on a brand new chassis platform (the first change since the original), and besides, the ‘bug’ headlights for the first time disappeared in favor of more aerodynamic ‘fried egg-shaped’ headlights. But the most important change was of course the brand new water-cooled six-cylinder engine. Porsche was forced to abandon air cooling by increasingly stringent emission and noise regulations.

The 996 Turbo also offered many new innovations. The engine was a 3.6-liter flat-six designed by Mezger with two turbos and an intercooler. The engine was not just a turbo version of the Carrera engine, but was based on the squeegee of the 1998 Le Mans winning Porsche 911 GT1. This meant that the car could handle much more power but above all that this engine did not have the notorious IMS bearing problems!

With 420 hp and 563 nm the car was much more powerful than the 993 and therefore the 996 turbo is the first 911 Turbo with four-wheel drive and Porsche’s Stability Management. On the outside, the 911 also features new Bi-Xenon headlights, an adjustable auto-emerging rear spoiler, wider bodywork, 18-inch wheels and two side intakes for better cooling.

Checked by Superclassics on: 26/07/2020